by Leigh Goessl

Created on: October 07, 2007   Last Updated: September 09, 2009

Watching a husband transform into a father is a beautiful time. I remember so clearly the day I watched my husband lovingly gaze upon our newborn daughter for the first time, and the love he showed was swelled with pride and adoration.

I recall with distinction the first time he coped with our child's scary nightmare, and how he gently comforted that very first "boo-boo" he fixed. This man, who at first was so worried about his ability to be a father, has come into the role so naturally and in the process he's proven what I'd intuitively known all along. He is a great dad.

As I sit here lamenting on all the ways my husband has become a father, I watch him lie on the floor with our youngest, now eleven months old. The two of them are quietly playing with some blocks and a wooden pull-toy, a grasshopper. He's carefully explaining in his soft voice all about the grasshopper, how the toy works and she responds enthusiastically by chewing on one of the blocks.

It is the sweet moments like this I see the wonderful father my husband has evolved into. My husband had dedicated all of his adult life to serving in the U.S. Army. When he met me, I'd already had two children way past the toddler stage. Over the course of time he got to know each child, there was an ongoing and nurturing bond growing.

When we were dating, he would sit down and play quality time with my son. I used to tease him that he was coming to visit on leave to have play dates with my son. It was captivating to watch the two of them play video games, discuss history, the military and to play with a large vast field of plastic army men scattered all across the floor.

Then he would talk to my almost-teen daughter about her likes and dislikes; he even read the types of books she liked just to learn about them so he could converse with her about the stories. I had been enchanted with and falling for my husband after we had our first date, but over the course of time as he began interacting with my children in the amazing ways he did, I fell in love.

The kids really looked forward to his weekends he came to visit while on leave and always had a great time together. I'd been worried about how my kids would feel when I eventually started dating and after a while introduced them, but any apprehensive feelings I'd initially had rapidly evaporated once they met.

After a couple of years we got married and my husband became an instant dad, which I imagine must have been quite the lifestyle change for him, yet he embraced his new role wholeheartedly right from the start.

Six months later we discovered we were expecting. His reaction was one of both laughter and tears at the same time. I already knew he was a good dad and I was excited to know he'd get the chance to experience and enjoy the baby and toddler years too.

The first time he held our daughter was amazing to watch; I just quietly sat in the hospital bed watching the two of them interact. My husband is a great daddy. From day one he stepped in and accepted the role of father and has always been there for all of us.

Each time he demonstrates by his attention and his actions shows how much he loves and adores our three children, I fall in love with him all over again.

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